LAPUSH — A team of experts attempting to rescue a whale tangled in crab pot lines will try again Friday morning off the Olympic Peninsula’s Pacific coast.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokeswoman Kristin Wilkinson says a team led by John Calambokidis of the Olympia-based Cascadia Research Collective reached the animal this morning about two miles north of where it was last spotted.
The Coast Guard is assisting.
Wilkinson says a fisherman reported the tangled whale Wednesday about eight miles southwest of Destruction Island. It’s believed to be a humpback whale, an endangered species.
Here is NOAA’s latest statement:
At 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 12, the U.S. Coast Guard was notified by a fisherman of an entangled humpback whale off of Destruction Island, Wash. The Coast Guard notified the NOAA Northwest Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Network members spoke with the fisherman and were able to get additional information about the sighting and condition of the animal. The whale was reported as entangled in crab pot gear with two orange floats attached, and gear wrapped around the body from the head to the flukes. The animal was resighted on Wednesday afternoon in the same location.
A disentanglement team is being lead by Olympia-based Cascadia Research Collective, members of the Northwest Marine Mammal Stranding Network. The Cascadia Research boat was launched from LaPush at 9 this morning and was on-scene with the whale at about 10:15 a.m. A U.S. Coast Guard boat is also on scene assisting, with the marine mammal biologist from the Makah tribe. As of 10:45 a.m. the disentanglement team had successfully cut one line off the head of the whale. It was confirmed that the whale is a juvenile humpback.
There was a temporary flight restriction surrounding the disentanglement effort of three nautical miles and 1,000 feet.
At 2:30 p.m. today the disentanglement effort was suspended. The team was able to remove entangling lines from the animal’s body and tail flukes; however, the animal remains entangled by a flipper. The team will pick up additional gear and make a follow-up attempt tomorrow, Friday, May 14, weather permitting.
Earlier report:
By Tom Callis
Peninsula Daily News
DESTRUCTION ISLAND — Rescuers will try today to free a whale found entangled in crab pot gear off the coast of West Jefferson County on Wednesday.
A fisherman reported seeing the 30-foot-long marine mammal, believed to be a humpback whale — an endangered species — to the Coast Guard at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, said Kristin Wilkinson, a marine mammal stranding specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Coast Guard confirmed the whale’s location approximately 8 miles southwest of Destruction Island, she said.
Wilkinson said the whale wrapped itself about four to five times in crab pot gear.
“It sounds like its whole body is entangled,” she said.
Team to help today
A disentanglement team, lead by the Olympia-based Cascadia Research Collective, was expected to be in the water heading to the whale by 9 a.m. today.
Wilkinson said they will launch their boat, or multiple boats, from LaPush.
She said it will take the team about 2 to 3 hours to reach the whale.
Cutting the lines may take up to a couple hours, depending on how calm the whale is, Wilkinson said.
The whale was reported to be at the surface, so it has access to air, but it is unknown if it is anchored in place, she said.
Wilkinson said the Coast Guard was assisting NOAA in keeping track of the whale’s location.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, it had not appeared to have moved, she said.
Even if the ropes are not anchoring the whale, Wilkinson said they could cut the animal, and lead to infection, or hinder the whale from diving if the ropes that entangle it are not cut.
“Obviously, it can have health impacts on the animal,” she said.
“It will lead to the death of the animal,” she added.
Destruction Island is off the coast of Ruby Beach.
Wilkinson said reports of whales entangled in crab pot or fishing gear in Washington state can range from zero annually to three or four.
Entangled marine mammals can be reported to NOAA’s Seattle office at 206-526-6733.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
